System and method for managing emergency vehicle alert geofence

ABSTRACT

A system, method and storage medium for providing an emergency vehicle (EV) alert includes a server receiving a first location of the EV, the server determining a first geofence based on the first location of the EV, the server transmitting the first geofence to a second device, the second device receiving the first geofence, the second device performing at least one alert action in response to determining that the another vehicle is located within the first geofence, the server receiving a second location of the EV at a second time, the server determining a geofence release zone based on the second location of the EV, the server transmitting the geofence release zone to the second device, the second device receiving the geofence release zone, and the second device stopping performing the at least one alert action in response to determining that the another vehicle is within the geofence release zone.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates to a system or method for effectively managinga geofence for an emergency vehicle.

BACKGROUND

When emergency situations such as occurrences of disasters, caraccidents, crimes, etc. take place, it is not only critical to sendemergency responders to emergency scenes promptly and efficiently toprovide rescue efforts to the people involved in the emergency event,but it is also important to guarantee the safety of emergency vehicles(EVs) heading to the emergency scene.

Widely used means to guarantee the safety of EVs includes providingdirect emergency vehicle alerts based on conventional audio or visualsignaling devices such as flashing lights, sirens and/or horns. However,these conventional signaling devices may not be adequate, or may provideunnecessary alerts to vehicles which are not even on roads that the EVcan travel. These alerts may also easily be ignored by people, or gounnoticed by people with hearing impairments or by distracted drivers.

Regarding these issues, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/958,550discloses a method for generating a safety zone based on node datacollected from emergency equipment and giving warning messages to othervehicles when they approach near the zone, the entire disclosure ofwhich are incorporated by reference herein.

However, there has been no prior work on setting up an EV alert geofenceand clearing the setup geofence for regions which the EV has passedalready or will not travel over.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Aspects of the present disclosure are a system, method and storagemedium for setting up a geofence for an emergency vehicle (EV) toprovide an EV alert to other vehicles within the setup geofence andclearing up the setup geofence for regions which the EV has passedalready or will not travel over.

In one aspect, there is provided a system for managing a geofence for anemergency vehicle (EV). The system includes a receiver, a processor anda transmitter. The receiver is configured to receive a first location ofthe EV from a first device at a first time, the first device beingassociated with the EV. The processor is configured to determine a firstgeofence based on the first location of the EV. The transmitter isconfigured to transmit the determined first geofence to a second deviceassociated with another vehicle, the another vehicle being locatedwithin the first geofence. The receiver is further configured to receivea second location of the EV from the first device at a second timesubsequent to the first time. The processor is further configured todetermine a geofence release zone based on the second location of theEV. The transmitter is further configured to transmit the geofencerelease zone to the second device.

In one embodiment, the second device may be configured to receive thefirst geofence; determine a location of the another vehicle with respectto the first geofence; and perform one or more alert actions based onthe determined location of the another vehicle with respect to the firstgeofence.

In one embodiment, the second device may further be configured toreceive the geofence release zone; determine the location of the anothervehicle with respect to the geofence release zone; and stop performingthe one or more alert actions based on the determined location of theanother vehicle with respect to the geofence release zone.

In one embodiment, the system may further include the second device,wherein the second device may include another receiver configured toreceive the first geofence and the geofence release zone and anotherprocessor configured to determine a location of the another vehicle withrespect to the first geofence; control an alert-generation device toperform the one or more alert actions based on the determined locationof the another vehicle with respect to the first geofence; determine alocation of the another vehicle with respect to the geofence releasezone; and control the alert-generation device to stop performing the oneor more alert actions based on the determined location of the anothervehicle with respect to the geofence release zone.

In one embodiment, the first geofence may be defined to cover one ormore regions excluding all rear regions of the EV.

In one embodiment, the geofence release zone may be defined to cover oneor more rear regions located behind the second location of the EV.

In one embodiment, the processor may further be configured to generate afirst control signal including the first geofence and a second controlsignal including the geofence release zone, and the transmitter mayfurther be configured to broadcast the first and second control signalsover a wireless channel around the EV.

In one embodiment, a region defined by the first geofence may notoverlap the geofence release zone.

In one embodiment, the alert-generation device may include at least oneof a speaker and a visual display.

In one embodiment, the processor may further be configured to determinea second geofence defined to cover one or more rear regions of the EVwhen the EV slows down or stops, the transmitter may further beconfigured to transmit the determined second geofence to the seconddevice, and the second device may be configured to receive the secondgeofence; determine a location of the another vehicle with respect tothe second geofence; and perform second one or more alert actions basedon the determined location of the another vehicle with respect to thesecond geofence.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a methodfor managing a geofence for an emergency vehicle (EV). The methodincludes receiving, by a receiver of a management server, a firstlocation of the EV from a first device at a first time; determining, bya processor of the management server, a first geofence based on thefirst location of the EV; transmitting, by a transmitter of themanagement server, the determined first geofence to a second deviceassociated with another vehicle, the another vehicle being locatedwithin the first geofence; receiving, by the receiver of the managementserver, a second location of the EV at a second time subsequent to thefirst time; determining, by the processor of the management server, ageofence release zone based on the second location of the EV; andtransmitting, by the transmitter of the management server, the geofencerelease zone to the second device. The first device is associated withthe EV.

In still yet another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provideda computer-readable storage medium having computer readable programinstructions. The computer readable program instructions can be read andexecuted by at least first and second processors for performing a methodfor managing a geofence for an emergency vehicle (EV). The methodincludes receiving, by a receiver of a management server, a firstlocation of the EV from a first device at a first time; determining, bya processor of the management server, a first geofence based on thefirst location of the EV; transmitting, by a transmitter of themanagement server, the determined first geofence to a second deviceassociated with another vehicle, the another vehicle being locatedwithin the first geofence; receiving, by the receiver of the managementserver, a second location of the EV at a second time subsequent to thefirst time; determining, by the processor of the management server, ageofence release zone based on the second location of the EV; andtransmitting, by the transmitter of the management server, the geofencerelease zone to the second device. The first device is associated withthe EV.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will become more readily apparent from thespecific description accompanied by the drawings.

FIG. 1 depicts an example environment where an EV alert managementnetwork is operated according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2A depicts a block diagram of an emergency subscriber deviceaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2B depicts a block diagram of a remote management server accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2C depicts a block diagram of a subscriber device receiving an EValert from the remote management server according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 3A-3B depict an example scenario where geofences are setup andcleared up for an EV, according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 3C depicts an example scenario where a geofence is setup foradditional EV, according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3D depicts an example scenario where a geofence is setup when an EVsuddenly slows down or stops, according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 4A depicts an example safety warning signal generated by a remotemanagement server and transmitted to a subscriber device of each ofother vehicles according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 4B depicts an example safety warning signal generated by a remotemanagement server and transmitted to a subscriber device of each ofother vehicles according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 5 depicts an example mapping table where mapping relationshipsamong a type of geofences, a geofence and a corresponding geofencefunction are defined, according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method for clearing an EV alertgeofence, according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure; and

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a computing system according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure may be understood more readily by reference tothe following detailed description of the disclosure taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawing figures, which form a part of thisdisclosure. It is to be understood that this disclosure is not limitedto the specific devices, methods, conditions or parameters describedand/or shown herein, and that the terminology used herein is for thepurpose of describing particular embodiments by way of example only andis not intended to be limiting of the claimed disclosure.

Also, as used in the specification and including the appended claims,the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural, andreference to a particular numerical value includes at least thatparticular value, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Rangesmay be expressed herein as from “about” or “approximately” oneparticular value and/or to “about” or “approximately” another particularvalue. When such a range is expressed, another embodiment includes fromthe one particular value and/or to the other particular value.

The phrases “at least one”, “one or more”, and “and/or” are open-endedexpressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. Forexample, each of the expressions “at least one of A, B and C”, “at leastone of A, B, or C”, “one or more of A, B, and C”, “one or more of A, B,or C” and “A, B, and/or C” means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and Btogether, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together.

The term “Geofence” of an emergency vehicle (EV) is defined as aboundary of a safety alert zone where other one or more vehicles in thevicinity of the EV are alerted to the presence of the EV. Thus, it canbe appreciated that a zone encompassed by the geofence can be a safetyalert zone. Further, “Geofencing” for an EV can be understood asgenerating the safety alert zone for the EV.

FIG. 1 depicts an example environment where an EV alert managementnetwork is operated according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an EV 10 communicates with a remote managementserver 20 through a communication network 15 for exchanging EV-relateddata 11, an emergency indication signal 12, an emergency state releasesignal 13 and/or the like, and the remote management server 20communicates with each of other vehicles 30 a to 30 d which travel onroads nearby the EV 10.

FIG. 2A depicts a block diagram of an emergency subscriber device 100according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2Bdepicts a block diagram of a remote management server 20 according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2C depicts a blockdiagram of a subscriber device 300 receiving an EV alert from the remotemanagement server 20 according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

In one embodiment, the emergency subscriber device 100 can be associatedwith the EV 10. For example, the emergency subscriber device 100 can beinstalled as a part of the EV 10, or a wearable or portable (hand held)device attached to the EV 10. Similarly, in one embodiment, thesubscriber device 300 can be associated with each vehicle 30 a to 30 d.For example, the subscriber device 300 can be installed as a part ofeach vehicle 30 a to 30 d, or a wearable or portable (hand held) deviceattached to the vehicle.

Referring particularly to FIG. 2A, the emergency subscriber device 100includes a processor 110, a memory 120, an input device 140, an outputdevice 150, a communication device 130 and one or more sensor devices160.

When the EV 10 is in an emergency state where it heads to an emergencyscene, the emergency subscriber device 100 triggers an emergency stateand transmits an emergency indication signal 12 to the remote managementserver 20 using the transmitter 132. The emergency indication signal 12indicates that the EV is in an emergency state, and upon receiving theemergency indication signal 12, the remote management server 20 canperform one or more safety actions to provide an alert of the EV 10 toother vehicles 30 a to 30 d traveling on roads nearby the EV 10. Thesafety actions may include: determining a geofence, generating a safetywarning signal (e.g., 500 a of FIG. 3A or 500 b of FIG. 3B) based on thedetermined geofence; and transmitting the safety warning signal to theother vehicles 30 a to 30 d nearby the EV 10, more details of which willbe described later. The emergency indication signal 12 may include an IDof the EV, and optionally, various EV-related data such as a type of theEV, a location of the EV, a moving direction of the EV, a velocity ofthe EV, or the like.

By way of example, the emergency state can automatically be triggeredwhen flashing lights, sirens and/or horns of the EV 10 are activated.However, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are not limitedthereto.

In some examples, the EV-related data 11 can be incorporated into theemergency indication signal 12, or can separately be transmitted fromthe emergency indication signal 12. In further examples, the EV-relateddata 11 can be transmitted only upon the transmission of the emergencyindication signal 12, or can be transmitted regardless thereof.

In addition, the sensor devices 160 collects the EV-related data 11. Forexample, the sensor data such as the location, the moving direction, andthe velocity can be collected using sensor devices 160 including, butare not limited to: an accelerometer, a global positioning system (GPS)receiver, a velocity sensor, a motion sensor, infrared light sensors,radar, laser radar, cameras, a gyroscope, or the like. The collectedEV-related data 11 may be stored in the memory 120 or other storage (notshown).

In addition, the memory 120 includes program instructions executable bythe processor 110 to perform functions or operations of the emergencysubscriber device 100 described in the present disclosure. The processor110 reads the stored data which have been collected from the sensordevices 160 and processes to generate messages that will be transmittedto the remote management server 20 through the transmitter 132 of thecommunication device 130. In one embodiment, the receiver 134 of thecommunication device 130 can be used to receive a control orconfirmation signal from the remote management server 20.

The communication network 15 may be implemented using on a wirelesscommunication technique based on radio-frequency identification (RFID),code division multiple access (CDMA), global system for mobilecommunication (GSM), wideband CDMA, CDMA-2000, time division multipleaccess (TDMA), long term evolution (LTE), wireless LAN, Bluetooth, orthe like. The communication device 130 may be implemented to support atleast one of the above-mentioned communication techniques.

The input device 140 can be, but is not limited to: a keyboard, a touchscreen, an audio input system, a voice recognition system, or the like.The output device 150 can be, but is not limited to: a screen, aspeaker, a light, a siren, a visual system, an audio system, or thelike.

Referring further to FIG. 2B, the remote management server 20 includes aprocessor 210, a memory 220, a communication device 230, and an inputdevice 240. The remote management server 20 may reside on a networkinfrastructure or on a third-party service provider, such as a cloudstorage and computing system. The remote management server 20 receivesthe EV-related data 11 using a receiver 234 of the communication device230 transmitted over the communication network 15 and store the data 11into the memory 220.

The communication device 230 includes a transmitter 232 and the receiver234. The communication device 230 may be implemented to support at leastone of the above-mentioned communication techniques such as RFID, CDMA,GSM, wideband CDMA, CDMA-2000, TDMA, LTE, wireless LAN, Bluetooth, orthe like. The input device 240 can be, but is not limited to: akeyboard, a touch screen, an audio input system, a voice recognitionsystem, or the like.

FIGS. 3A-3B depict an example scenario where geofences are setup andcleared up for an EV, according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure. FIG. 3C depicts an example scenario where a geofenceis setup for additional EV, according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 3A, the EV 10 travels on a road 370 while othervehicles 30 e and 30 f travel near the EV 10. Referring further to FIG.2B, upon receiving the emergency indication signal 12 from the EV 10,the processor 210 of the management server 20 determines, at a firsttime T1, a geofence Ga for the EV 10 based on the EV-related data 11(e.g., based on a location, velocity, type and/or moving direction ofthe EV 10) and generates the safety warning signal based on the geofenceGa. The remote management server 20 transmits the generated safetywarning signal to other vehicles 30 e and 30 f using the transmitter232. Each of the vehicles 30 e and 30 f (e.g., the subscriber device 300included each vehicle 30 e and 30 f) receives the safety warning signalincluding the geofence Ga, performs one or more alert actions inresponse to determining that a location of each vehicle 30 e and 30 f iswithin the geofence Ga, and performs no alert action in response todetermining that the location of each vehicle 30 e and 30 f is out ofthe geofence Ga. The alert actions may include generating a visualand/or audible warning signal for a driver to recognize an EV alert fornext safety actions such as yielding for the EV to let the EV safelypass.

For example, since in the example shown in FIG. 3A, the vehicle 30 etraveling ahead the EV 10 is located within the geofence Ga at a timeT1, the subscriber device (e.g., 300 of FIG. 2C) of the vehicle 30 eperforms the alert actions. Further, since the vehicle 30 f is notlocated within the geofence Ga at the time T1, the subscriber device(e.g., 300 of FIG. 2C) of the vehicle 30 f performs no alert action.

Referring now to FIG. 3B, at a time T2 subsequent to the time T1, the EV10 passes the vehicle 30 e and get closer to the vehicle 30 f, so thatthe vehicle 30 e is located behind the EV 10 and the vehicle 30 f iswithin a new geofence Gb. It should be appreciated that the managementserver 20 repeats the steps of collecting the EV-related data 11 fromthe first device 100, determining a geofence based on the EV-relateddata 11, and transmitting a safety warning signal(s) including thedetermined geofence(s). For example, the management server 20 transmits(e.g., broadcasts) the geofence Ga and a geofence Gca at the time T1(see FIG. 3A) and transmits (e.g., broadcasts) the geofence Gb and ageofence Gcb at the time T2 (see FIG. 3B).

Here, as shown in FIG. 3A, the geofence Ga represents a geofence setupzone where vehicles (e.g., 30 e) are alerted to the presence of the EV10, and the geofence Gca represents a geofence release zone where ageofence (not shown) that has been setup before the time T1 is canceledor removed. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 3B, the geofence Gb represents ageofence setup zone where vehicles (e.g., 30 f) are alerted to thepresence of the EV 10, and the geofence Gcb represents a geofencerelease zone where the geofence Ga that has been setup for the vehicle30 e (see FIG. 3A) is cleared or removed, so that vehicles (e.g., 30 e)that has been alerted to the presence of the EV according to thegeofence Ga and is located within the geofence Gcb would not be alertedto the presence of the EV any more. To ease the description of thepresent disclosure, the geofences Ga and Gb can be referred to as “setupgeofences”, and the geofences Gca and Gcb can be referred to as “releasegeofences”.

In one embodiment, referring to FIG. 4A, illustrated is an examplesafety warning signal 500 a generated by the processor 210 of the remotemanagement server 20 and transmitted to the subscriber device (e.g.,300) of each vehicle 30 e and 30 f. The safety warning signal 500 aincludes, but is not limited to: an EV ID 510 and geofence information520 related to the EV ID 510. The geofence information 520 can be anyinformation used for identifying directly or indirectly features (e.g.,size or shape) of the geofence for the EV 10.

Referring to FIG. 4B, illustrated is another example safety warningsignal 500 b that further includes an EV type 510 and one or more alertactions 540 for each vehicle 30 e and 30 f to follow when a certaincondition is met. The certain condition may include that a currentlocation of each vehicle 30 e and 30 f is matched to a geofence definedby the geofence information.

Referring back to FIGS. 3A and 3B, in one embodiment, the setup geofenceGa and the release geofence Gca (or the setup geofence Gb and therelease geofence Gcb) can be transmitted over separate safety warningsignals; in another embodiment, the geofences Ga and Gca (or thegeofences Gb and Gcb) can be transmitted over a single safety warningsignal (e.g., 500 a or 500 b) whose geofence information field 520includes information of both the geofences Ga and Gca (or the geofencesGb and Gcb). Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are notlimited thereto.

Referring back to FIGS. 4A and 4B, in one embodiment, the geofenceinformation 520 is directly provided as a set of location coordinatescorresponding to a boundary of the determined geofence.

In another embodiment, the geofence information 520 is indirectlyprovided as an indication (e.g., geofence function G(x)) that can beused by the subscriber device 300 to retrieve the geofence from thegeofence information 520. When the geofence information 520 isindirectly provided as an indication that can be used by the subscriberdevice 300, a current location of the EV 10 may be provided in thesafety warning signal 500 a and/or safety warning signal 500 b, so thatthe subscriber device 300 can combine the EV current location togenerate a more exact geofence defined around the EV 10, and/or thesubscriber device 300 tracks of the EV 10's movement based on the EVcurrent location and displays on a visual system thereof. By way ofexample, the indication can be an index identifying a specific geofence,and information regarding relationships between the indices and theirrespective mapping geofences can be prestored in the memory 320 of thesubscriber device 300, so that the subscriber device 300 can read out anappropriate geofence based on the index.

In one embodiment, the processor 210 of the remote management server 20may further generate a confirmation signal (not shown) to transmit itback to the EV 10 when, before, and/or after the safety warning signal500 a or 500 b is transmitted to the vehicles (e.g., 30 e and 300, sothat the EV 10 may recognize that the emergency state thereof has beentransferred to the remote management server 20 and the safety action forthe EV has started. In some examples, the safety warning signal 500 a or500 b is transmitted to the subscriber device 300 of each vehicle (e.g.,30 e and 300, and the processor 310 of the subscriber device 300processes the geofence information 520 in the safety warning signal 500a or 500 b to display the geofence through a display of thealert-generation device 370 of the subscriber device 300.

Referring further to FIG. 2C, the subscriber device 300 includes aprocessor 310, a memory 320, a communication device 330, an input device340, and an alert-generation device 370. Each vehicle (e.g., 30 e and300 may be a vehicle registered for services that provide emergencyvehicle alerts, so that at least one of the above components thereof isdesigned to have features to receive the emergency vehicle alerts.

For example, the communication device 330 includes a transmitter 332 anda receiver 334 which are implemented to support at least one of theabove-mentioned communication techniques being capable of communicatingwith the communication device 230 of the remote management server 20and/or the communication device 130 of the EV 10.

The safety warning signal 500 a or 500 b received through the receiver334 may be stored in the memory 320. The processor 310 may retrieve anID and/or a geofence for the EV 10 based on the safety warning signal500 a or 500 b.

In one embodiment, if the geofence information 520 is provided as a setof location coordinates corresponding to a boundary of the determinedgeofence, the processor 310 of the subscriber device 300 determineswhether a current location of the corresponding vehicle is matched tothe geofence of the EV 10 based on the set of location coordinates inthe geofence information 520. For example, if the current location ofeach vehicle (e.g., 30 e and 30 f) is within the boundary defined by theset of location coordinates, the processor 310 determines a matchbetween the vehicle current location and the geofence; otherwise, itdetermines a mismatch therebetween. If the match is found between thecurrent location and the geofence, the processor 310 controls thealert-generation device 370 to perform one or more alert actions;otherwise (e.g., if no match is found therebetween), the processor 310discards the safety warning signal 500 a or 500 b and performs nofurther action for providing the EV alert.

In one embodiment, if the geofence information 520 is provided as anindication for geofence (e.g., geofence function G(x)) as discussedabove, the processor 310 further retrieves the geofence based on thegeofence information 520 (e.g., based on the geofence function G(x)),and then determines whether the vehicle current location is locatedwithin the geofence or not. If a match is found between the currentlocation and the geofence, the processor 310 controls thealert-generation device 370 to perform one or more alert actions;otherwise (e.g., if no match is found therebetween) the processor 310discards the safety warning signal 500 a or 500 b and performs nofurther action for providing the EV alert.

In one embodiment, the alert-generation device 370 is configured toperform alert actions under control of the processor 310. Thealert-generation device 370 can be, but is not limited to: a screen, aspeaker, a light, a siren, a visual system, an audio system, or thelike. The input device 340 can be, but is not limited to: a keyboard, atouch screen, an audio input system, a voice recognition system, or thelike. The current location can be collected using the sensor devices 360such as a positioning device, as shown in FIG. 2C.

In one embodiment, the alert actions include generating a visual and/oraudible warning signal for a driver to recognize an EV alert for nextsafety actions such as yielding for the EV to let the EV safely pass.

In one embodiment, the alert actions are preprogrammed and stored in thememory 320 of the subscriber device 300, and when a match is foundbetween the current location and the geofence, the processor 310 readsthe alert actions from the memory 320 to control the alert-generationdevice 370 to perform the alert actions.

In one embodiment, the alert actions are transferred from the remotemanagement server 20 to the subscriber device 300 of each vehicle 30 ato 30 d through the alert action information field 520 in the safetywarning signal 500 b, as depicted in FIG. 4B. In this case, theprocessor 310 controls the alert-generation device 370 to perform thealert actions, as instructed in the alert action information field 540.

The geofences can dynamically be adjusted in size or shape according toa velocity and/or type of the EV 10, example embodiments of which aredescribed in Applicant's copending patent application filed on U.S.patent application Ser. No. 16/243,692 filed on Jan. 9, 2019, entitled“SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR VELOCITY-BASED GEOFENCING FOR EMERGENCY VEHICLE”,the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. Thegeofences can dynamically be adjusted in size or shape according togeographical map information near the EV 10, example embodiments ofwhich are described in Applicant's copending patent application filed onU.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/294,470 filed on Mar. 6, 2019,entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MAPBASED GEOFENCING FOR EMERGENCYVEHICLE”, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by referenceherein.

FIG. 5 depicts an example mapping table where mapping relationshipsamong a type of geofences, a geofence and a corresponding geofencefunction are defined according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure. The mapping table 222 may be stored in the memory 220 of theremote management server 20. In one embodiment, the processor 210 maylook up the mapping table 222 to determine a corresponding geofence.

In an example shown in FIG. 5, when the management server 20 determinesthe setup geofence Ga (or Gb) to transmit it, a geofence functionG_(a)(x) (or G_(b)(x)) corresponding to the geofence Ga (or Gb) can beprovided as the geofence information 520. Similarly, when the managementserver 20 determines the release geofence Gca (or Gcb) to transmit it, ageofence function G_(ca)(x) (or G_(cb)(x)) can be provided as thegeofence information 520.

Once a specific geofence for an EV 10 is determined, the determinedgeofence can be combined with a current location of the EV 10 providedwith the EV-related data 11 to generate the geofence information 520 ofthe safety warning signal 500 a or 500 b. The geofence information 520may include a geofence function G(x) defined with respect to the currentlocation of the EV 10.

Although it is illustrated in figures that geofences are provided in atwo-dimensional fashion, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosureare not limited thereto. For example, a geofence for an EV can beprovided in a three-dimensional fashion.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method for clearing an EV alertgeofence according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2A-2C, 3A, 3B and 6, at a time T1, the EV 10(or emergency subscriber device 100 installed in the EV 10 or attachedthereto) collects EV-related data 11 such as a location, a type, avelocity or the like using the sensor devices 160 (not shown) andtransmits the EV-related data 11 to the remote management server 20(S710). In addition, the remote management server 20 receives theEV-related data 11 (not shown) and determines a setup geofence (e.g., Gaof FIG. 3A) based on a first location of the EV-related data 11 (S720)and generates a safety warning signal 500 a or 500 b including geofenceinformation 520 associated with the setup geofence (not shown).

In step S730, the remote management server 20 transmits the safetywarning signal 500 a or 500 b including the setup geofence (e.g., Ga) toother vehicles 30 a to 30 d (or subscriber device 300 installed in thevehicle or attached thereto). In one embodiment, the management server20 may further determine another release geofence (e.g., Gca of FIG. 3A)based on the first location of the EV 10 and transmits the releasegeofence over the safety warning signal 500 a or 500 b.

The subscriber device 300 of each vehicle (e.g., 30 e and 30 f) receivesand analyzes the safety warning signal 500 a or 500 b to retrieve thesetup geofence (not shown). The subscriber device 300 (e.g., processor310) determines whether a current location of the corresponding vehicleis matched to the setup geofence (e.g., whether the vehicle currentlocation is located within the geofence). If a match is found betweenthe current location and the setup geofence, the processor 310 controlsthe alert-generation device 370 to perform one or more alert actions(S740); otherwise, (e.g., if no match is found therebetween) theprocessor 310 may discard the safety warning signal 500 a or 500 b andperform no alert action (not shown). In step S750, at a time T2 afterT1, the EV 10 (or the emergency subscriber device 100) transmitsEV-related data 11 including a second location of the EV 10. Next, themanagement server 20 determines a release geofence (e.g., Gcb of FIG.3B) based on the second location of the EV-related data 11 (S760) andgenerates a safety warning signal 500 a or 500 b including geofenceinformation 520 associated with the release geofence (not shown). Instep S770, the remote management server 20 transmits the safety warningsignal 500 a or 500 b including the release geofence (e.g., Gcb) toother vehicles 30 a to 30 d (or subscriber device 300). In oneembodiment, at the time T2, the management server 20 may furtherdetermine another setup geofence (e.g., Gb of FIG. 3B) based on thesecond location of the EV 10 and transmits the setup geofence over thesafety warning signal 500 a or 500 b. The subscriber 300 of the vehicle(e.g., 30 e) analyzes the safety warning signal 500 a or 500 b toretrieve the release geofence (not shown) and determines whether acurrent location of the corresponding vehicle is matched to the releasegeofence (e.g., whether the vehicle current location is located withinthe release geofence). If a match is found, the processor 310 controlsthe alert-generation device 370 to stop the alert actions that have beenperformed according to the setup geofence (e.g., Ga) (S740); otherwise,(e.g., if no match is found therebetween) the processor 310 may discardthe safety warning signal 500 a or 500 b including the release geofence(e.g., Gcb) and/or continue to perform the alert action associated withthe setup geofence (e.g., Ga). It will also be appreciated that thesteps S710 to S780 may be repeated in a periodic time manner.

In some example scenarios where one or more another EVs (e.g., 10 a)travel near the EV 10, as exemplarily shown in FIG. 3C, the managementserver 20 may determine a setup geofence Gk and a release geofence (notshown) for the EV 10 a and transmit them through a respective safetywarning signal (e.g., 500 a or 500 b) with a respective ID (e.g., 510).What is depicted in FIG. 3C is substantially the same as FIG. 3B exceptfor the additional EV 10 a and the setup geofence Gk associated with theEV 10 a. In other words, at the time T2, the subscriber device 300 ofthe vehicle 30 e can receive information of a plurality of geofencesincluding, for example, a setup geofence Gb for the EV 10, a releasegeofence Gcb for the EV 10, a setup geofence Gk for the EV 10 a and arelease geofence (not shown) for the EV 10 a through one or more safetywarning signals and determines to which EV each geofence belongs, basedon the EV ID (e.g., 510).

As discussed above, regarding the EV 10, the vehicle 30 e is located outof the setup geofence Gb and within the geofence Gcb, and thus thevehicle 30 e may discard the setup geofence Gb for the EV 10 and stopalert actions being performed according to the geofence Gb. Atsubstantially the same time, regarding the EV 10 a, the vehicle 30 e islocated within the setup geofence Gk, and thus the vehicle 30 e mayperform alert actions according to the setup geofence Gk for the EV 10a.

In some scenarios, the EV 10 may suddenly slow down or stop after itpasses the vehicle 30 e, as exemplary depicted in FIG. 3D. Referringback to FIG. 3B, the vehicle 30 e receives the release geofence Gcb andstops alert actions being performed according to a previously receivedsetup geofence (e.g., Ga).

Further, in response to determining that the EV 10 slows down or stops,the management server 20 can generate another geofence Gi and transmitsthe same to vehicles (e.g., 30 e) traveling behind the EV 10 andapproaching the EV 10 to prevent them from crashing into the EV 10. TheEV-related data 11 transmitted from the EV 10 can be used for themanagement server 20 to determine whether the EV 10 slows down or stops.For example, if the velocity of the EV 10 drops by more than apredetermined value (e.g., 30 miles/hour) within a predeterminedduration (e.g., 5 seconds) or drops below a predetermined value (e.g.,30 miles/hour), the management server 20 determines that the EV 10 slowsdown. In addition, if the velocity of the EV 10 drops to approxiatelyzero, the management server 20 determines that the EV 10 stops.

The geofence Gi is defined to cover one or more rear regions of the EV10 where the vehicles (e.g., 30 e) traveling behind the EV 10 andapproaching the EV 10 are located. For example, the vehicle 30 ereceives the geofence Gi and performs alert actions in response todetermining that the vehicle 30 e is located within the geofence Gi.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a computing system 4000 according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 7, the computing system 4000 may be used as a platformfor performing: the functions or operations described hereinabove withrespect to at least one of the emergency subscriber device 100, theremote management server 20 and the subscriber device 300; and themethods described with reference to FIG. 6.

Referring to FIG. 7, the computing system 4000 may include a processor4010, I/O devices 4020, a memory system 4030, a display device 4040,and/or a network adaptor 4050.

The processor 4010 may drive the I/O devices 4020, the memory system4030, the display device 4040, and/or the network adaptor 4050 through abus 4060.

The computing system 4000 may include a program module for performing:the functions or operations described hereinabove with respect to atleast one of the emergency subscriber device 100, the remote managementserver 20 and the subscriber device 300; and the methods described withreference to FIG. 6. For example, the program module may includeroutines, programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, or thelike, for performing particular tasks or implement particular abstractdata types. The processor (e.g., 4010) of the computing system 4000 mayexecute instructions written in the program module to perform: thefunctions or operations described hereinabove with respect to at leastone of the emergency subscriber device 100, the remote management server20 and the subscriber device 300; and the methods described withreference to FIG. 6. The program module may be programmed into theintegrated circuits of the processor (e.g., 4010). In an exemplaryembodiment, the program module may be stored in the memory system (e.g.,4030) or in a remote computer system storage media.

The computing system 4000 may include a variety of computing systemreadable media. Such media may be any available media that is accessibleby the computer system (e.g., 4000), and it may include both volatileand non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media.

The memory system (e.g., 4030) can include computer system readablemedia in the form of volatile memory, such as RAM and/or cache memory orothers. The computer system (e.g., 4000) may further include otherremovable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer system storagemedia.

The computer system (e.g., 4000) may communicate with one or moredevices using the network adapter (e.g., 4050). The network adapter maysupport wired communications based on Internet, local area network(LAN), wide area network (WAN), or the like, or wireless communicationsbased on code division multiple access (CDMA), global system for mobilecommunication (GSM), wideband CDMA, CDMA-2000, time division multipleaccess (TDMA), long term evolution (LTE), wireless LAN, Bluetooth, ZigBee, or the like.

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may include a system, amethod, and/or a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. Thenon-transitory computer readable storage medium (e.g., the memory system4030) has computer readable program instructions thereon for causing aprocessor to carry out aspects of the present disclosure.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, butnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory(EEPROM or Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), aportable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatiledisk (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, or the like, a mechanicallyencoded device such as punch-cards or raised structures in a groovehaving instructions recorded thereon, and any suitable combination ofthe foregoing. A computer readable storage medium, as used herein, isnot to be construed as being transitory signals per se, such as radiowaves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagneticwaves propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g.,light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signalstransmitted through a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to the computing system 4000 from the computer readablestorage medium or to an external computer or external storage device viaa network. The network may include copper transmission cables, opticaltransmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls,switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers. A network adapter card(e.g., 4050) or network interface in each computing/processing devicereceives computer readable program instructions from the network andforwards the computer readable program instructions for storage in acomputer readable storage medium within the computing system.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present disclosure may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the computing system (e.g.,4000) through any type of network, including a LAN or a WAN, or theconnection may be made to an external computer (for example, through theInternet using an Internet Service Provider). In an exemplaryembodiment, electronic circuitry including, for example, programmablelogic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmablelogic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readable programinstructions by utilizing state information of the computer readableprogram instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry, in orderto perform aspects of the present disclosure.

Aspects of the present disclosure are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, system (ordevice), and computer program products (or computer readable medium). Itwill be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/orblock diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computerreadable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general-purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements, if any, in the claims below areintended to include any structure, material, or act for performing thefunction in combination with other claimed elements as specificallyclaimed. The description of the present disclosure has been presentedfor purposes of illustration and description but is not intended to beexhaustive or limited to the present disclosure in the form disclosed.Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinaryskill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of thepresent disclosure. The embodiment was chosen and described in order tobest explain the principles of the present disclosure and the practicalapplication, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art tounderstand the present disclosure for various embodiments with variousmodifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and describedwith respect to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood bythose skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in formsand details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention. It is therefore intended that the presentinvention not be limited to the exact forms and details described andillustrated but fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for managing a geofence for an emergencyvehicle (EV), comprising: a receiver configured to receive a firstlocation of the EV from a first device at a first time, the first devicebeing associated with the EV; a processor configured to determine afirst geofence based on the first location of the EV; and a transmitterconfigured to transmit the determined first geofence to a second deviceassociated with a vehicle, the vehicle being located within the firstgeofence, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive a secondlocation of the EV from the first device at a second time subsequent tothe first time, wherein the processor is further configured to determinea geofence release zone for clearing a previously created geofence basedon the second location of the EV, and wherein the transmitter is furtherconfigured to transmit the geofence release zone for clearing apreviously created geofence to the second device.
 2. The system of claim1, wherein the second device is configured to: receive the firstgeofence; determine a location of the vehicle with respect to thereceived first geofence; and perform one or more alert actions based onthe determined location of the vehicle with respect to the firstgeofence.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the second device is furtherconfigured to: receive the geofence release zone; determine the locationof the another vehicle with respect to the received geofence releasezone; and stop performing the one or more alert actions based on thedetermined location of the vehicle with respect to the geofence releasezone.
 4. The system of claim 1, further comprising the second device,wherein the second device comprises: another receiver configured toreceive the first geofence and the geofence release zone; and anotherprocessor configured to control an alert-generation device to: determinea location of the vehicle with respect to the received first geofence;perform the one or more alert actions based on the determined locationof the vehicle with respect to the first geofence; determine thelocation of the vehicle with respect to the received geofence releasezone; and stop performing the one or more alert actions based on thedetermined location of the vehicle with respect to the geofence releasezone.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first geofence is defined tocover one or more regions excluding all rear regions of the EV.
 6. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the geofence release zone is defined to coverone or more rear regions located behind the second location of the EV.7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured togenerate a first control signal including the first geofence and asecond control signal including the geofence release zone, and whereinthe transmitter is further configured to broadcast the first and secondcontrol signals over a wireless channel around the EV.
 8. The system ofclaim 1, wherein a region defined by the first geofence does not overlapthe geofence release zone.
 9. The system of claim 4, wherein thealert-generation device comprises at least one of a speaker and a visualdisplay.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to determine a second geofence defined to cover one or morerear regions of the EV when the EV slows down or stops, wherein thetransmitter is further configured to transmit the determined secondgeofence to the second device, and wherein the second device isconfigured to: receive the second geofence; determine a location of thevehicle with respect to the received second geofence; and perform secondone or more alert actions based on the determined location of thevehicle with respect to the received second geofence.
 11. A method formanaging a geofence for an emergency vehicle (EV), comprising:receiving, using a receiver of a management server, a first location ofthe EV from a first device at a first time, the first device beingassociated with the EV; determining, using a processor of the managementserver, a first geofence based on the first location of the EV;transmitting, using a transmitter of the management server, thedetermined first geofence to a second device associated with a vehicle,the vehicle being located within the first geofence; receiving, usingthe receiver of the management server, a second location of the EV at asecond time subsequent to the first time; determining, using theprocessor of the management server, a geofence release zone for clearinga previously created geofence based on the second location of the EV;and transmitting, using the transmitter of the management server, thegeofence release zone for clearing a previously created geofence to thesecond device.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:receiving, using another receiver of the second device, the transmittedfirst geofence; determining, using another processor of the seconddevice, a location of the vehicle with respect to the first geofence;and controlling, using the another processor of the second device, analert generation device to perform first one or more alert actions basedon the determined location of the vehicle with respect to the firstgeofence.
 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: receiving,using the another receiver of the second device, the geofence releasezone; determining, using the another processor of the second device, thelocation of the vehicle with respect to the geofence release zone; andcontrolling, using the another processor of the second device, the alertgeneration device to stop performing the first one or more alert actionsbased on the determined location of the vehicle with respect to thegeofence release zone.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the firstgeofence is defined to cover one or more regions excluding all rearregions of the EV.
 15. The method of claim 11, wherein the geofencerelease zone is defined to cover one or more rear regions located behindthe second location of the EV.
 16. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising: generating, using the processor of the management server, afirst control signal including the first geofence and a second controlsignal including the geofence release zone; and broadcasting, using thetransmitter of the management server, the first and second controlsignals over a wireless channel around the EV.
 17. The method of claim11, wherein a region defined by the first geofence does not overlap thegeofence release zone.
 18. The method of claim 11, wherein theperforming first one or more alert actions comprises generating at leastone of an audible output and a visual display.
 19. The method of claim11, further comprising: determining, using the processor of themanagement server, a second geofence defined to cover one or more rearregions of the EV when the EV slows down or stops; transmitting, usingthe transmitter of the management server, the determined second geofenceto the second device; receiving, using the second device, the secondgeofence; determining, using the second device, a location of thevehicle with respect to the received second geofence; and performing,using the second device, second one or more alert actions based on thedetermined location of the vehicle with respect to the second geofence.20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computerreadable program instructions, the computer readable programinstructions read and executed by at least first and second processorsfor performing a method for managing a geofence for an emergency vehicle(EV), the method comprising: receiving, using a receiver of a managementserver, a first location of the EV from a first device at a first time,the first device being associated with the EV; determining, using thefirst processor of the management server, a first geofence based on thefirst location of the EV; transmitting, using a transmitter of themanagement server, the determined first geofence to a second deviceassociated with a second vehicle, the second vehicle being locatedwithin the first geofence; receiving, using the receiver of the themanagement server, a second location of the EV at a second timesubsequent to the first time; determining, using the first processor ofthe management server, a geofence release zone for clearing a previouslycreated geofence based on the second location of the EV; andtransmitting, using the transmitter of the management server, thegeofence release zone for clearing a previously created geofence to thesecond device.
 21. The storage medium of claim 20, wherein the methodfurther comprises: receiving, using a receiver of the second device, thetransmitted first geofence; determining, using the second processor ofthe second device, a location of the vehicle with respect to the firstgeofence; and controlling, using the second processor of the seconddevice, the alert generation device to perform one or more alert actionsbased on the determined location of the vehicle with respect to thefirst geofence.
 22. The storage medium of claim 21, wherein the methodfurther comprises: receiving, using the receiver of the second device,the geofence release zone; determining, using the second processor ofthe second device, the location of the vehicle with respect to thegeofence release zone; and controlling, using the second processor ofthe second device, the alert generation device to stop performing theone or more alert actions based on the determined location of thevehicle with respect to the geofence release zone.
 23. The storagemedium of claim 20, wherein the first geofence is defined to cover oneor more regions excluding all rear regions of the EV.
 24. The storagemedium of claim 20, wherein the geofence release zone is defined tocover one or more rear regions located behind the second location of theEV.
 25. The storage medium of claim 20, wherein a region defined by thefirst geofence does not overlap the geofence release zone.
 26. Thestorage medium of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises:determining, using the processor of the management server, a secondgeofence defined to cover one or more rear regions of the EV when the EVslows down or stops; transmitting, using the transmitter of themanagement server, the determined second geofence to the second device;receiving, using the second device, the second geofence; determine,using the second device, a location of the vehicle with respect to thereceived second geofence; and performing, using the second device,second one or more alert actions based on the determined location of thevehicle with respect to the second geofence.